Like other components of a gas turbine engine, a combustor must be held in place using an appropriate supporting arrangement. Such arrangement may include arms extending between the combustor and the walls of the chamber in which the combustor is located. Most of the combustor is spaced apart from the walls of the chamber, thereby allowing air flowing around the combustor. One end of each arm is attached to the combustor using an attachment point referred to as a “support boss”.
As its name indicates, the combustor is the location where fuel is mixed with compressed air and burned. The hot combustion gases are then sent to the downstream turbine area of the gas turbine engine. The highly intense heat generated by the combustor generally requires the presence of a network of cooling orifices through the walls of the combustor. Air surrounding the combustor is then forced into these orifices, thereby maintaining a lower temperature at the walls of the combustor. However, conventional support bosses tend to create local hot spots because they do not allow the presence of cooling orifices. This generates stresses due to temperature gradients. Hot spots may also be created on a heat shield located underneath a conventional support boss. Heat shields are located inside the combustor and are spaced apart from the interior of the wall of the combustor. When no cooling air is provided, the heat shield is subjected to a higher temperature.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved support boss which can mitigate the presence of hot spots on them or around surrounding parts.